NOVEL NEXT Chapter 18: Epilogue
A long time later, in another place...
[---]
Inside a travel tent, the atmosphere was tense.
"So, that's what really happened?"
"Yes," Trixie replied, fidgeting like a child confessing to a prank. There wasn't a trace of her usual arrogance on her face.
"Wow..." murmured Starlight, utterly stunned; she was so taken aback that she didn't look away from her friend even as she sipped from her oversized "Best Headmare Ever" mug.
Both remained silent for a long while until Starlight finally decided to continue.
"You haven't told anyone else about this?"
"No," Trixie answered immediately.
"Not even Twilight or Princess Luna?"
"Definitely 'no' to Twilight, and I promised Princess Luna I'd be honest with you... when the time was right," Trixie admitted, lowering her head.
"So, at the end of our extraordinary best-friends vacation..." Starlight added with a touch of gloom.
"Yes," Trixie replied, staring blankly at one of the tent walls.
"Uh-huh," Starlight murmured, a hint of irritation in her tone, and without saying more, she continued sipping from her large mug.
However, Starlight's indifferent murmur was enough to make the ground beneath Trixie feel shaky. The unicorn reacted immediately.
"I really regret keeping this secret from you all this time... I know I've said other things before... but with everything that happened afterward... I..." Trixie began to speak nervously, tears welling in her eyes.
"Okay, okay, that's enough, I get it," Starlight tried to soothe her friend.
"You do?" Trixie responded instantly, holding back her emotions.
"Yes, I do. Look, I remember quite well everything the kids told me about what happened at the castle when they were attacked, plus your version of events where you conveniently passed out after hitting your head on a flowerpot (which I immediately knew was a lie). Now that you've confessed, honestly, I think you made the right call. If you'd mentioned the orchid-octopus back then, I can't imagine how much worse it would've made things for you—I was already furious at the time. Honestly... I'm more surprised Sunburst helped you keep it a secret this long," Starlight concluded with a sigh.
But that response wasn't what Trixie wanted to hear.
"Do you really understand?!" Trixie interrupted, now offended.
"I told you, yes, I understand," Starlight reiterated, more serious now.
"No, you don't understand! I brought a plague to the school, summoned ghosts to tear down a princess's castle, and called on the worst kind of raptors under the sky to serve me. Those are exactly the kinds of things I swore I'd never do again when I became your friend."
"Uh-huh. And?" Starlight replied in a deliberately mature tone.
"And?... AND?! Ughhh!" Trixie exploded, suddenly kicking at the air in frustration. Starlight, serene as ever, simply watched her friend's tantrum while finishing her drink.
It was clear to both friends that everything Trixie had done on that infamous day had been for Starlight. If anyone in the world should punish Trixie for her misdeeds, it ought to be her best friend and no one else. However, Trixie was far too proud to admit this openly to Starlight's face.
Unrestrained, Trixie continued her outburst until, finally, after nearly a minute, she stopped.
Starlight set her empty mug aside.
"Feel better now?" she asked.
"Ah, ah, ah... yes, much better," Trixie replied, sweaty and breathless.
"Good. Now, before you ask why I'm not mad at you, I want to remind you that we've had several conversations about this before. My answer remains the same: that wasn't really you, but the corrupted potions you drank. As for the plague... you were judged and sentenced over a year ago. I have nothing more to say on the matter," Starlight concluded firmly.
Trixie, exhaling repeatedly, simply stared at her friend.
"Why are you so cold to me?" she asked plaintively, breaking the silence.
"It's just who I am. You have your way of being, and I have mine. But in this case, it's more of a special treatment I reserve just for you as a friend."
"You mean that?" Trixie asked, pulling a face. "Are we having a friendship lesson right now?"
"Uhmm, no. Think of it more as a refresher course. Now, consider this: how would you react if your ever-so-perfect friend Starlight told you she was about to resign as Headmare?"
Trixie opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again, only to shut it once more. She resembled a fish out of water. Beside her, Starlight watched with an amused smile.
Trixie had no idea how to respond.
"Ahhh..." Trixie exhaled, flopping onto the ground and finally giving up before her friend. "We're so different..."
"Yes, we are."
"Sometimes I wonder why you're still friends with someone like me. You could easily replace me with someone less... 'Trixie.'"
"Well, to be honest, I've thought about it..." Starlight admitted, glancing away. Trixie shot her a fiery glare, but Starlight continued, "...you're difficult. But if I have to choose between the difficulty of being your friend and the difficulty of not having you by my side, I'd pick the first."
Trixie's eyes welled up at that moment; they were like those of a puppy finally allowed to come home after a long punishment.
"So, I'm special?" Trixie asked, her voice trembling.
"Uhmm, yes, you are, as a friend, of course," Starlight replied cautiously, noting Trixie's unusual expression.
"I'm special..." Trixie murmured.
"Yes, so—"
A burst of light interrupted her. In an instant, Trixie was by Starlight's side, throwing herself at her in an enthusiastic hug.
"YOU'RE THE BEST FRIEND IN THE WORLD!" Trixie shouted joyfully, her energy fully restored.
"UHH... THANKS, TRIXIE... UGH," Starlight groaned under the strength of the embrace but returned it with a smile.
That hug was proof of their reconciliation. It was all Trixie needed to be certain that their powerful friendship was still alive.
And it would live on in the future.
The special moment between friends lingered.
"So, that means..." Trixie began.
"You still have two more years of community service left on your sentence," Starlight cut her off flatly without pulling away.
"...Friendship is magic!" Trixie responded, forcefully cheerful.
The two friends held their not-so-genuine smiles as their hug continued.
[---]
The sun slowly rose on the horizon, like a pure silver coin emerging from a plane of utter darkness into one of celestial clarity. Its dazzling brilliance painted everything in its path with hues of gold and crimson. The desert, unable to resist, abandoned the shadows that had dominated it throughout the night and surrendered to the light of a new day.
The dawn unfolded over the great desert.
"It's beautiful..." Starlight said, moved.
"Yes, it's wonderful..." Trixie replied, her eyes fixed on the horizon.
Watching that ordinary yet extraordinary sight from their vantage point, Starlight and Trixie stood atop a sand dune, admiring the landscape together.
"You know... if it weren't for you, it probably would have taken me twenty years to have a vacation like this. You've really been the guide in my life to get me here," Starlight confessed.
"Thank you..." Trixie replied, touched, but she quickly adopted a haughty pose. "And don't forget, without me, you'd still be stuck in that complicated teaching project."
"Hey, the project is a good plan."
"I didn't say it was bad, but now that you mention it, Chancellor Neighsay is insufferably meticulous," Trixie remarked with a critical grimace.
"Ugh, don't remind me. He's even worse than Sunburst," Starlight joked, making a grimace of her own.
"I'll remind you, dear friend. After all, when we return, you'll have to put up with both of them for five more years," Trixie added with a sly smile.
"Ugh," Starlight let out a soft groan, imagining the prolonged responsibility awaiting her upon their return. But the feeling was fleeting. With Trixie by her side, the burden didn't seem so heavy, and she began to smile.
The wind blew, tossing the manes of both ponies.
Noticing her friend's good mood, Trixie looked up, spotting the mysterious stars in the sky that, for some unknown reason, refused to be outshone by the sunlight.
One by one, the stars disappeared, just like the minutes of the swift sunrise.
Behind the pair of friends, on a rocky part of the desert floor, four colorful tents had been set up.
From the tents emerged familiar faces.
Sandbar, Gallus, and Smolder came out of the red tent.
Yona, Silverstream, and Ocellus emerged from the blue tent.
And Daring Do exited the yellow one.
Everyone was awake and ready to face the new day with energy.
Noticing the growing commotion behind her, Starlight turned around. The Young Six were beginning to chat and tease each other. Not far away, Daring Do was calling out to them, urging them to hurry up and dismantle the tents.
Watching the antics of the group of friends, Starlight laughed heartily.
"It was very clever of you to include the kids in our vacation. This has really been like a late graduation trip for them."
"It's the least Trixie could do, after everything they had to go through because of her," Trixie replied, disheartened.
"Cheer up, Trixie. Stop dwelling on the past. Let's enjoy the day and the great adventures ahead of us."
Starlight turned and pointed toward the horizon.
Undeniable, menacing, cyclopean, dark pyramids loomed before them.
"Pyramid exploration!" the unicorn exclaimed enthusiastically. "We'll divide into three groups. The kids don't have assigned teams yet, but you, me, and Daring Do will be group leaders."
"Whoo!" Trixie exclaimed, setting aside her gloom. "Wait... we're going to explore the pyramids? Daring Do said they were dangerous. How did you convince her?"
"I have my ways of persuading others," Starlight replied, looking at her hooves. Trixie gave her a suspicious glance, noting how vague her friend was being. "But that's beside the point. First, we need to pick a logo for each team. I prepared them last night. I'll be Balance, and the other two are..."
"Heart!" Trixie suddenly blurted out mechanically.
"Huh?"
"Huh? I mean... there is a Heart, right?" Trixie asked nervously. She didn't understand why she'd said that.
"Well, yes, there is. There's also Feather... Were you spying on me?" Starlight asked, a bit suspicious.
"Uhh, no, no. I guessed. Hahaha," Trixie replied, uneasy, turning her attention to the pyramids. Suddenly, she began to remember something... something important...
Meanwhile, Starlight looked at her friend with narrowed eyes, but it was all playful acting. She shrugged and continued.
"Alright, what are we waiting for? Let's seize our youth by living on the edge and challenging danger!" Starlight whinnied, breaking into a gallop toward the others.
Taken by surprise, Trixie didn't take long to follow her. "Hey! Wait... Starlight! Starlight!"
The wind blew, scattering the sand that quickly swallowed up their footprints.
The cheerful voices of the pair of friends still echoed over the great desert, rising to the heavens.
Indifferent to the challenge, the black pyramids gleamed silently in the same colors of the sunrise.
Beneath them, in their depths, the shadows waited, eager to soon reveal the secrets of a forgotten and inevitable future...